From Nsisong Morgan, Akwa Ibom
Managing Director, Faith Optical and Medical Services Limited (FOMSL), Dr. David Ehimhen has disclosed that about four thousand people in Mbo Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State have been provided free medical care in collaboration with the oil firm Oriental Energy resources Limited.
The communities that have benefited from the medical outreach are, Enwang, Ebughu, Efiat, Uda and Udesi in Mbo LGA.
Ehimhen listed the common diseases detected in the area by the medical team such as, “malaria, cataract, hypertension, diabetes, hepatitis B and a rare case of congenital blindness.
He added that the team carried out HIV/AIDS tests, pregnant women were also given ante-natal kits, school children received kits and were sensitized on their hygiene. This is as persons with Disabilities received walking aid.
He further commended the communities for the massive turn-out, saying that the team treated patients with different kinds of ailments including, hypertension, diabetes, malaria, among others.
He said: ‘’It has been a peaceful and successful exercise and the turn-out was encouraging and challenging. In a programme like this, you will expect massive turn-out, but we ensure that everybody was attended to. We had security personnel on ground and other community youths to control the crowd and ensure everything goes on well. The Community Relations Committee cooperated with us and Community Liaison Officer was around all through to ensure that there were no hitches.
‘’We gave out 200 ante-natal kits and over 1000 mosquito nets. We carried out malaria test, hepatitis B and we treated a lot of malaria cases. We discovered a lot of diabetes, cataract and hypertension cases. The few HIV/AIDS that were reactive, we followed a channel to manage it. This health center is HIV center and we just collaborate with them to continue the investigation and if it is confirmed, they will take up the management’’.
In his remark, the Deputy Manager, Community Relations of Oriental Energy Resources Limited, Anslem Okere, said the programme was part of the firm’s efforts to impact positively on the host communities.
He said: ‘’we operate in Mbo and this programme is part of our social investment to our host communities. The impact has been tremendous and the people can attest to it. We must commend the host communities because we have an excellent relationship with them. Although Akwa Ibom is part of the Niger Delta region, the area is peaceful and we don’t take their peaceful disposition for granted.
‘’So, as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility, we carry out this outreach, among other social investment we have provided for them such as the 100 units Oriental Village and the state-of-the-art skill acquisition center at Enwang, the science laboratories for Biology, Chemistry and Physics at Ebughu Grammar Secondary School. We work with the Community Relations Committee which represents the various communities and we have been working cordially with them. We do need assessment to know what they want and we provide exactly what they want for them as such there is no friction’’.
Reacting to the medical outreach, a monarch in the area Obong Savier Edet Ekpe, commended the firm for the kind gesture.
‘’From the look of things, I have seen a lot of people and it is something worth doing because health is wealth. I am highly impressed by the way the company is carrying out the outreach. I have been treated and my message is that they should be a continuous exercise so that many people can benefit from it’’, he said.
The women leader, Mrs. Ma Nko, who spoke to Frontline news Online prayed God to bless the company for exhibiting what she described as “the act of kindness’’ to the poor and the sick people, noting that government alone cannot meet the healthcare needs of the people.
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